Why isn’t mental health taken more seriously?

[Muse98]

Seems as if there is a stigma surrounding it and a lot of people are as if they're ashamed to discuss it.

Lately I've been dealing with some extreme anxiety. I'm about to start on Lexapro this coming Monday and I hope it helps because I've been going through hell recently.

It's a shame how there's a stigma surrounding mental health and if you dare bring it up everyone will assume you're "crazy". Which is also fucked up.

Allls ive got to say is that if you're feeling suicidal or going through mental health issues.. hang in there. You will make it. You are stronger than you think.

Like holy fuck it's taken every fiber in my body to pull myself out of it

 

[AzorAhai]

Good luck to you OP. I tried to kill myself once and this forum is the only place where I can say it.

Society is so advanced in some areas yet so primitive in others.

 

[Muse98]

Good luck to you OP. I tried to kill myself once and this forum is the only place where I can say it.

Society is so advanced in some areas yet so primitive in others.

Click to shrink...

I'm very sorry to hear you've been going through it. Hang in there.

 

[fragamemnon]

There's way too many people (in the USA) who are on SSRIs and other medications and what not for it not to be considered as serious at a societal level. Any GP (at least in the US) probably has a steady stream of people seeing first-line care for mental health issues.

The glib and often callous responses from other people are borne out of how little agency others have on helping people with mental illness. You can live with someone and be super supportive but if the person affected isn't willing to get help, there's just very little you can actually do to make a difference.

Suggestions from bystanders for things like exercise regiment, cutting off caffeine and processed foods, finding hobbies, are well-intentioned but someone with something like panic disorder or GAD through the roof or other forms of severe illness just aren't going to get better without professional help and that help is going to take time to improve their condition and will likely have various ups and downs along the way.

 

[Qikz]

Part of the big problem with mental health and empathy is most mental health issues are not outwardly facing, even people with chronic pain or other disabilities face this problem as well. If your average person looks at someone and they have one leg they can instantly tell that it must be difficult for them to get around and deal with normal day to day life.

With mental health that isn't always the case and unless you know someone who's personally gone through mental health issues or you've had to deal with them yourself you have literally no idea how to spot it. You also don't know or how bad it can actually feel so I think your average person just doesn't realise how bad it actually is and just ignores it. Then you have the worst people who just assume the people suffering are making it up since there's no way it could be that bad. It sucks, but unfortunately I don't think there's a lot you can do, people just need to be more empathetic and sadly at the moment that just doesn't seem to be a common trait.

I have general anxiety disorder but luckily enough mine was light enough that learning how to practice CBT was enough to pull me mostly out of the hole I was stuck in and I know a lot of people have it a lot worse. My partner has depression and I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for him. I do my best to help where I can, but all I can really do is be there for him.

 

[Melhadf]

I suffer from psychosis (visual disturbances) and have just been discharged from NHS services despite worsening symptoms. Increased medication isn't working and my GP is concerned enough to re-refer. Now I play the 5 year waiting game... that'll teach me to not have a perfectly functioning mind.

People don't want to SEE disabled people/people struggling to cope and be reminded of their own fragile health.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

It takes being in the worst of it to truly understand what it means. With physical injuries and ailments most people have some life experience (and I think knowing about physical pain is more innate and hardwired) and its easier to empathize than something "in your head". That's also why people tell you its "in your head" as a dismissal. Just not at all grasping that the brain is the most important and defining thing for a human to be working properly.

Our country is really bad with that too, like i've had so many people being dismissive or even stop talking to me just from the mere mention of depression, not to mention things like psychosis.

 

[TissueBox]

As with most things, because people can't 'see' it, a lot will assume it's not there, all fabricated, something that you can 'sleep off', etc. Being properly educated and informed on this at an earlier age would go a long way but alas, that also goes for most things! ;P

 

[GuitarGuruu]

It sucks, my depression has been spiraling the last week or so. Idk what to do at this point, it's effecting my livelihood.

 

[Sadire]

Outdated notions on what those mental illnesses are aren't helping either.

My guess is people don't want to feel like they have any responsibility for cultivating any forms of mental illness. Like PTSD, depression and anxiety from bullying and such.

If they knew the actual long lasting effects of such issues and gave a damn, we wouldn't be here talking like this for sure.

 

[Psychotext]

UK is particularly awful for this. Next to no funding goes into it, and as a society we don't really give much consideration to counselling etc.

 

[entremet]

It's not profitable.

Unfortuantely.

Naysayers would say, but he have a pretty big mental health profession and pharmaceutical options. But those not always accessible or affordable to those that suffer.

That also misses structural issues.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

Ugh, where to begin?

I feel like a lot of people definitely go out of their way to make people, still, feel bad for talking about mental health.

It's invisible so, because people can't see it, they assume its't not real it exaggerated.

People impacted also, due to above factors, struggle to take actiond themselves.

Limited funding and you can't always sell a cure (medicine helps some, not all).

 

[PallasKitten]

UK is particularly awful for this. Next to no funding goes into it, and as a society we don't really give much consideration to counselling etc.

Click to shrink...

As a fellow UK resident, very much agree. The one time I tried seeking mental health help several years ago, I was put on a waiting list for over a year, only to be offered group therapy by the end of it. I know I should have probably at least tried it, but I noped out due to social anxiety and I knew I wouldn't really be able to talk about anything remotely personal in a group setting. And that was the end of that, haven't really bothered to seek help since.

There's very much a common notion held that things like depression just "don't really exist" and you just need to change something about your diet or lifestyle or whatever nonsense and you'll be "happy". It's seen as some kind of "choice" or personal falling by a lot of people I think, even if they don't outright say it. At least, that's been my experience anyway.

 

[Kino]

Because mental health can't be seen, and a lot of people just don't trust what can't be perceived with their eyes.

 

[greepoman]

Because mental health can't be seen, and a lot of people just don't trust what can't be perceived with their eyes.

Click to shrink...

Not only that it's just not something that most people experience and can relate to. They just kind of think of it as being extra sad. It doesn't help that the word itself is often used more casually like that... "that's depressing", etc.

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

Simply put, out of sight, out of mind.

The vaccine debacle was long foretold by our treatment of mental health issues. If it's not visible to us, it's far easier to dismiss or misunderstand.

There's a children's book called Ruby Finds a Worry that tries to demonstrate this.

 

[lunarworks]

Because mental health care is priced out of range of most people, or too difficult to apply for, unfortunately.

 

[thewienke]

As with most things, because people can't 'see' it, a lot will assume it's not there, all fabricated, something that you can 'sleep off', etc. Being properly educated and informed on this at an earlier age would go a long way but alas, that also goes for most things! ;P

Click to shrink...

I get migraines periodically so there's a lot of truth to the visibility of it

Another big part of it is the fear of what our employer will think that keeps people silent and the stigma going. An employer will often assume the worst when they hear "mental health problems" and in our highly competitive society will always favor the one without that kind of problem for promotions, raises, etc. People hide all kinds of diseases and issues with their employer to maintain that competitive edge.

So because of the employer issue I feel like mental health issues are viewed as something that affects children and young adults. This is partially because often only young people have the time to actually address the issues. Working age post grad adults aren't able to tell their employer that they're having a mental health crisis and need to take several days. Then we wonder why people drop dead in their 50s from stress.

Also psychology isn't universally accepted as factual. Fundamentalist churches sometimes speak against the entire concept. Not sure how other religions/denominations feel about it.

Even within the world of medicine and science, psychiatry/psychology isn't really a hard science. They know something is wrong and they have a semi-working grasp on the pharmacology but in many ways even that feels like an ever emerging science.

Just consider the fact that a psychology degree isn't all that valued compared to other degrees from harder sciences or degrees that are medically oriented. Even though as a society we need like 10x the number of therapists.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

I wish I knew, I try to be open about it with my friends but they just act like everything is always perfect

 

[Thordinson]

It's better than it used to be but there's still a very long way to go.

Outdated notions on what those mental illnesses are aren't helping either.

My guess is people don't want to feel like they have any responsibility for cultivating any forms of mental illness. Like PTSD, depression and anxiety from bullying and such.

If they knew the actual long lasting effects of such issues and gave a damn, we wouldn't be here talking like this for sure.

Click to shrink...

I doubt it. Folks know about how bad things like spanking are but still think it's fine because they "turned out alright." The problem is more so that folks think of depression as simply being sad so it's not a big deal because they've been sad before.

I get migraines periodically so there's a lot of truth to the visibility of it

Another big part of it is the fear of what our employer will think that keeps people silent and the stigma going. An employer will often assume the worst when they hear "mental health problems" and in our highly competitive society will always favor the one without that kind of problem for promotions, raises, etc. People hide all kinds of diseases and issues with their employer to maintain that competitive edge.

So because of the employer issue I feel like mental health issues are viewed as something that affects children and young adults. This is partially because often only young people have the time to actually address the issues. Working age post grad adults aren't able to tell their employer that they're having a mental health crisis and need to take several days. Then we wonder why people drop dead in their 50s from stress.

Also psychology isn't universally accepted as factual. Fundamentalist churches sometimes speak against the entire concept. Not sure how other religions/denominations feel about it.

Even within the world of medicine and science, psychiatry/psychology isn't really a hard science. They know something is wrong and they have a semi-working grasp on the pharmacology but in many ways even that feels like an ever emerging science.

Just consider the fact that a psychology degree isn't all that valued compared to other degrees from harder sciences or degrees that are medically oriented. Even though as a society we need like 10x the number of therapists.

Click to shrink...

Psychiatry is absolutely a hard science. If it isn't then medicine isn't.

You don't need a psychology degree to be a therapist. A Master's of Social Work is the most common degree for therapists.

Because mental health can't be seen, and a lot of people just don't trust what can't be perceived with their eyes.

Click to shrink...

I think this is a smaller part of it than we think. Folks completely understand and are much more sympathetic to deaf folks. You can't see that someone is deaf most often.

The bigger part is that folks think it's in someone's head rather which means they just need to change their thinking to feel better.

 

[Psychotext]

There's very much a common notion held that things like depression just "don't really exist" and you just need to change something about your diet or lifestyle or whatever nonsense and you'll be "happy". It's seen as some kind of "choice" or personal falling by a lot of people I think, even if they don't outright say it. At least, that's been my experience anyway.

Click to shrink...

My business partner is of that mindset, and it's INFURIATING.

 

[thewienke]

Psychiatry is absolutely a hard science. If it isn't then medicine isn't.

You don't need a psychology degree to be a therapist. A Master's of Social Work is the most common degree for therapists.

Click to shrink...

I've literally never heard psychology included with STEM degrees

It's usually lumped with sociology and anthropology

 

[Thordinson]

I've literally never heard psychology included with STEM degrees

It's usually lumped with sociology and anthropology

Click to shrink...

Psychiatrists have M.Ds or D.Os. They are medical doctors.

Psychiatry and psychology are not the same thing. Different fields.

 

[logan_cadfgs]

There's very much a common notion held that things like depression just "don't really exist" and you just need to change something about your diet or lifestyle or whatever nonsense and you'll be "happy". It's seen as some kind of "choice" or personal falling by a lot of people I think, even if they don't outright say it. At least, that's been my experience anyway.

Click to shrink...

There was a "happiness is a choice" thread here a few years ago and it was pretty nasty

 

[thewienke]

Psychiatrists have M.Ds or D.Os. They are medical doctors.

Psychiatry and psychology are not the same thing. Different fields.

Click to shrink...

I understand that which is why only psychiatrists can prescribe medicine. I had a whole carve out in my post for pharmacology.

I was talking about psychoanalysis which sorry if that wasn't clear

 

[Mandos]

I get so many "toughen up, go through it repeatedly and you'll be fine" or "power through it and you'll be ok after you rest"

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Doesn't help several of my family members have toxic positivity. Doing everything in my power not to go back in their immediate sphere, love em but we don't have enough in common so they try to force me into their interests when it just causes more strain on my mental health. Especially since the way I reacted to them during childhood was the mask they trained me to do more than my actual personality and I can't wear that anymore. Takes too much energy

 

[CabooseMiller]

It honestly feels like something people can't understand unless they've dealt with it. My best friend told me he found suicide to be a selfish decision fully knowing that I've attempted it in the past so it's hard to speak up to people who are closest as well.

 

[j7vikes]

I'm 40 so maybe this changes my perspective.

I feel like we've come a long ways in this area. I don't remember anyone really talking about it as a kid or even early college.

Now athletes, actors, musicians, etc are all willing to share their story. I was so guarded with my bipolar disorder diagnosis for most of my life and now I share it somewhat often if it comes up.

Is it perfect? No. Does a stigma still exist? Yeah.

Not sure where you live OP but pretty much everyone is either on meds for mental health or they know someone who is.

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

There's a bit of a historical perspective I feel is often overlooked.

There was actually quite a lot of public awareness of developing mental health science over the 20th century with the rise of psychoanalysis. After a while though, the problems with Freudian ideas created a lot of pop culture cliches. And successive waves of fads in psychoanalysis may have given people the overall impression of mental health being a field of quacks, or a navel gazing exercise for pampered people. (See: BBC documentary The Century of the Self)

Think about how often you may still hear Freud and Freudian psychoanalysis invoked in popular talk even though mental health moved on from those concepts long ago.

The media helped do a number of mental health too, in the 70s and 80s with dramatic and exploitative portrayals of various "insanities", as well as of psychiatry. A lot of people got the idea that mental illnesses were either one of two things: the result of someone just being born broken with an inadequate brain, or a made-up excuse for avoiding your problems and fishing for sympathy. Then Reagan pushed to destroy mental care institutions and sealed the deal by putting so many people on the streets. It spread the image of mental illness as something dangerous and crazy homeless people were associated with. Creating even more of a silencing stigma.

 

[j7vikes]

It honestly feels like something people can't understand unless they've dealt with it. My best friend told me he found suicide to be a selfish decision fully knowing that I've attempted it in the past so it's hard to speak up to people who are closest as well.

Click to shrink...

I mean it's like a lot of things in that regard. It's hard to know what most things are like if you haven't experienced them. I mean you can describe depression and how it feels but most people are going to treat it as feeling down for a few hours. They have no idea how horrific it is. Hell I didn't until I went through it.

 

[GungHo]

Lack of empathy

 

[Rhomega]

I hear about it all the time. If anything, people are complaining that Zoomers and Gen Alphas are using anxiety and depression as excuses to not work or whatever. Psychiatrists and therapists are fully booked.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

People find it hard to empathize with anything THEY are not experiencing. Add on to that a problem that can't be seen and you got a recipe for people not fully believing or understanding.

 

[Ethical Necromancer]

If one more well-meaning person talks to me about mindfulness and gives me an adult colouring book, I'm going to scream.

 

[Sesha]

One reason is because unlike physical illness we can't "see" it, and people are fucking stupid. Everyone has had a cold/flu/stomach virus/measles or had a physical wound, or know someone with illnesses like cancer. So it's easier to relate to. It requires a level of flexible thinking, emotional intelligence and empathy that a lot of people don't have. Even people that have direct personal experience with mental illness, might not have experienced it to a similar degree, or they confuse things like general, short term depression/anxiety with other, more persistent or complex kinds.

Even with certain illnesses or misfortunes, people lack basic empathy because it requires them to think beyond their own circumstances and experiences. For examples, look at the recent thread about food poisoning, that no one took seriously because they hadn't been affected, or threads about phobias (like arachophobia) or on showering (where you have people with skin afflictions being called all sorts of horrible things by extension, because few were able or willing to imagine that people might have different needs). Or, in the recent past, threads about extreme heat in Europe, which thankfully have gotten somewhat better.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

I would say, and I do run in very middle class circles in the UK, that it absolutely is being put higher up the list. At family gatherings I'm reminded it's okay to leave early or take a break if I need rest from being social, same with my friends, and it's okay to drop out of some occasions just because.

Then at work it's obviously a little bit more like lip service, but at working level yeah, we prioritise checking in with eachother and discussing how we're feeling. Upper Management has a tendency to try and look past it in practice because they've got objectives to complete and a lack of perspective tbh. But I think generally they do understand if folk are having a bad time at work it's worse for them too.

So yeah, I think in my life generally people are good about it. But it's still difficult as we all have our own problems and perspectives. Some people are more helpful per type of crisis just because. I think we have to be a little gracious for the people who are sticking by us even if they aren't very good at it, as tough as that feels in a bad moment.

 

[Surakian]

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[PennyPasta]

Seems like as good a place as any to share that I recently went to my GP, told him I had been suicidal and basically starved myself over the Christmas holidays because of how extreme my anxiety had gotten and he just... looked at me and said 'Hmm. Doesn't sound urgent enough to refer you. Have you tried deep breathing exercises?'

Thankfully I've been seeing another doctor who's been handling everything to do with my medical transition and he referred me to the mental health services immediately when I opened up to him about it on a whim and I now have an appointment at the end of next month but... man. I dunno. Scary to think that I might have had to wait even longer if I hadn't gotten the chance to talk to him about it, especially considering how much this has been affecting my life as of late.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Where do I even start... from a US perspective we're inundated with that rugged individualist mentality that encourages people not to give a fuck about anything that doesn't match their own lived experience. I remember some time ago there was a guy on twitter that went semi-viral due to him gleefully gloating about shortages of Adderall making it difficult for people with ADHD to get their medication. The dude didn't even know what ADHD was, he was convinced it was just chronic boredom. That kind of open ableism is so very typical.

 

[Orayn]

Sucks when people straight up don't believe that you could have anxiety or depression because of your personality. Like you can't have either of those problems if you aren't Eeyore or a complete nervous wreck at all times. If you can keep it together at work or with friends, you must be fine.

 

[Isilia]

I literally had to come downstairs and reach for a kitchen knife as a kid for my parents to finally take it seriously.

They ended up with their own mental health issues later in life, too, so then they were always on the side of it after. Sad that it always takes situations like described before for people to understand.

We really don't have much of a choice here to "deal with it," as there are so few avenues to find help locally. Thankfully, there have been so much improvement with online choices lately.

 

[Mandos]

Another problem is people assuming that being around people will make you feel better or is the root of your problem. Some people are introverted and need quiet and are only ok with social environments with certain requirements(for me, I enjoy tabletop gaming). But being around people in my downtime just wears me out

 

[Surakian]

I want to also mention that there is a disturbing amount of people who, in response to mental health issues, say to pray about it. I'm sorry but prayer can be a comfort to those who believe in it, but it is not a solution. It is good for coping if it is a part of your life, but it doesn't tackle the root of the issue, whether it be caused by trauma or a chemical deficiency in the brain or what have you.

I do think it can be helpful for those who are actively practicing a faith, but like many things, it is only one component. Just like you can't lean on just a good support system or just have therapy or just work out or just change your diet.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I was recently interviewing for a restaurant management position and after two very positive meetings they told me they were no longer interested because someone had found an old GoFundMe I had started after a mental health incident that resulted in a weeklong hospital stay, saying they didn't feel the business would be able to rely on me. *sigh*
(Additionally frustrating because the GFM had been ended and fully deleted at my request nearly two years ago, so why/how is it still showing up when someone searches my name online?)

Just this past Friday night, one of my line cooks had an incident that resulted in him walking off during service and we haven't been able to get in touch with him since. He'd very nonchalantly told me earlier that day that he was taking anti-anxiety meds and was messing around with much higher dosages because it's too expensive to go see the doctor about it, and I suspect that caused some serious issues when he got overly stressed that night. We were able to convince management to get him help with medical leave if/when he comes back rather than firing him, which was their immediate reaction.

It's just such shit the way the US fails to handle and provide care for mental health. I've been intimidated and assaulted by cops during multiple crises. Doctors and therapists will just "turn you in" if you admit to having suicidal thoughts, rather than trying to actually do something to help, another thing I've personally experienced repeatedly. So stupid and infuriating.

 

[Doggg]

It's easy to pay lip service to not stigmatizing mental health issues. But the reality is that a lot of people, even those who would like to think of themselves as better informed about these things, react with revulsion when they actually encounter it themselves.

 

[Mandos]

I want to also mention that there is a disturbing amount of people who, in response to mental health issues, say to pray about it. I'm sorry but prayer can be a comfort to those who believe in it, but it is not a solution. It is good for coping if it is a part of your life, but it doesn't tackle the root of the issue, whether it be caused by trauma or a chemical deficiency in the brain or what have you.

I do think it can be helpful for those who are actively practicing a faith, but like many things, it is only one component. Just like you can't lean on just a good support system or just have therapy or just work out or just change your diet.

Click to shrink...

Oh don't get me started on this one. If you over rely on it you turn to pure zealotry and blinding yourself in fear of your whole world crumbling if your faith is shaken the tiniest bit. Cause I've seen it with my family. Heck it's part of the reason I don't tell my dad I'm agnostic

 

[duxstar]

It's the fact that it's hard to define sometimes and you can't see it so it gets "written" off as another reason and Hollywood hasn't helped in any way. Once you get labelled with something you are stuck with it for the rest of your life; no matter how far you've come doctors just assume it is whatever "that was"

For me I probably have struggled with depression all my life off and on, maybe even seasonal
but when I go to the doctors now it is super vague questions like
"do you not find interest in things you once did" and you go well maybe
ok, do you ever feel sad and lonely ? well yes I think that's part of the human experience
Do you think of harming yourself? No

Ok well that's good

Then it's like am I depressed, I know what depression is, and I know what anxiety is, and I've had points in my life where it just feels hopeless and you dont want to do anything because there are no good answers ; but that's not how I feel now

Then there's the other side of it where you get stigmatized even in the medical field; around 9/11 I had moved to the largest mustard gas supply in the country and was 16 in a new school and missing home, and then the WTCs fell and put me into a panic attack. I spent the next year or so having Panic attacks where I thought I was dying, and a really bad panic attack you just can't escape from; time stands still and you feel like your just gonna vanish.

Anyways about 4 years later when I was 19/20 I started having issues breathing, I go to the ER and they see my history and just go "oh hey Anxiety history, its just a panic attack here's a xanax"
2 weeks later back in the ER and they were like "Well if you can't get your anxiety under control we'll have to put you in a white padded room; so do you want a shot of Xanax or the padded room" so I take the xanax go home
Go to my local primary care; they do a strep test and send me home thinking its just "the anxiety"
Finally go to a place after thinking I'm crazy again and that my anxiety is manifesting in new ways, and the person there takes out a Stethoscope and listens to my chest and I have a mass the size of a Volleyball in my chest, My esophagus was kinked almost 90 degree's and they said I would've died in my sleep that night if we hadn't found it

Why did no one listen to me ?
They thought the "Unable to breathe" was a sign of people with Panic Disorder so that's surely what it must be this time

 

[Caeda]

It's not very well understood. Both the mental health issues, and how they can affect our bodies beyond the brain. They're also not visible, for the most part, and when it is visible people make jokes.

 

[Mandos]

It's not very well understood. Both the mental health issues, and how they can affect our bodies beyond the brain. They're also not visible, for the most part, and when it is visible people make jokes.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I suffer from stammering under extreme stress(well and regular tremors). The latter is a pretty obvious signal something is wrong but the former would just be taken as a speech impediment(that and word association issues which I also suffer on occasion, swapping words with similar or even opposite meanings, even response phrases), but the thing is I'm a decently eloquent speaker when composed So there is a contrast… tho if I'm stammering constantly I'm on the brink of mentally shutting down so it becomes a bit more obvious. Last time it happened to an extreme level I had to leave work early and I was so over stressed the next day I had to call out cause my nerves were just fried, couldn't handle people at all and my motor skills/balance were shot. Thankfully I have a flexible job this winter… tho it's up in May, and I don't have a clue what I'm doing or going to next.